Man charged with malicious wounding

MARTINSBURG – A Martinsburg man accused of shooting another man in the face was arraigned Sunday night on one count of felony malicious wounding.

Russell Antoyne Holt, 39, of West Race Street, was released Monday on $100,000 bail, but was immediately arraigned again on another warrant charging him with distribution of heroin in connection with an incident last year. As of Monday, Holt was being held at Eastern Regional Jail on $200,000 bail in connection with the drug charge.

The victim of Sunday’s shooting, identified in court records as Mario Magnusson, survived and was taken to City Hospital in Martinsburg to be treated.

According to court records, on Sunday officers with the Martinsburg Police Department responded to the 100 block of West Race Street for a report of a shooting victim.

Magnusson suffered a gunshot wound to the mouth. While being treated by medics at the scene for the gunshot wound, the victim told police that Holt had shot him. The victim was then taken to City Hospital.

Officers spoke with several witnesses at the scene, who said that they believed the shooting occurred behind the 200 block of West Race Street. Police located a blood trail and followed it to a gravel parking lot on Commerce Avenue behind a building located at 311 N. Maple Ave. Officers located a 40-caliber shell casing and a tooth in close proximity at the suspected crime scene, records show.

Police attempted to speak with the victim again at City Hospital, but he was unable to provide a written or verbal statement. He was asked if he could identify the person who shot him through a photograph. The victim nodded and was shown a photograph of Holt. When shown the photograph, the victim nodded multiple times and pointed at the picture, records show.

The drug charge Holt was arraigned on Monday stemmed from a Dec. 13, 2012, incident, during which he allegedly sold five packs of heroin for $100 to a confidential police informant during a drug sting conducted by the Eastern Panhandle Drug and Violent Crimes Task Force.

If convicted of malicious wounding, Holt faces two to 10 years in prison. He faces a maximum of one to 15 years in prison and a $25,000 fine if convicted of distribution of heroin.